Wakefield station (MBTA)

Wakefield station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station in Wakefield, Massachusetts served by the Haverhill Line. The station has two side platforms, which are not accessible, serving the line's two tracks. The station building, constructed in 1889, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989 as Wakefield Upper Depot.

Wakefield
The Wakefield station building in 2022
General information
Location	225 North Avenue Wakefield, Massachusetts
Coordinates	42°30′8.0″N 71°4′32.3″W
Owned by	Town of Wakefield
Line(s)	Western Route
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Connections	MBTA bus: 137
Construction
Parking	117 spaces ($2.00 daily)
Bicycle facilities	6 spaces
Accessible	No
Other information
Fare zone	2
History
Opened	1845
Rebuilt	1889
Passengers
2018	483 (weekday average boardings)[1]
Services
Preceding station MBTA Following station Greenwood toward North Station Haverhill Line Reading toward Haverhill
Wakefield Upper Depot
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	27–29 Tuttle Street, Wakefield, Massachusetts, USA
Built	1889 (1889)
Architectural style	Panel Brick
MPS	Wakefield MRA
NRHP reference No.	89000719[2]
Added to NRHP	July 06, 1989
Location

History

The station platforms in 2017

The Boston and Maine Railroad built its mainline through South Reading in 1845, primarily through the efforts of Thomas Spaulding, a local businessman.^[3][4] The first station was a wooden structure on the east side of the tracks. A new station building was constructed in 1889; the original depot was relocated and converted to a freight house.^[4] By 1893, the town had six stations with as many as 60 trains per day. The building is architecturally distinctive in the town as an example of Panel Brick architecture.^[2][3]

The station building was converted to commercial use by 1968.^[5] A fire in one of the businesses inside gutted the structure late on December 17, 1974.^[6] The 16-inch (410 mm)-thick brick walls survived the fire; it was rebuilt by 1977, with a pharmaceutical company the first occupant.^[7] The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989 as Wakefield Upper Depot.^[2][3]

Rail service on the inner Haverhill Line was suspended from September 9 to November 5, 2023, to accommodate signal work. Substitute bus service was operated between Reading and Oak Grove, serving all intermediate stops.^[8]

The original station building, still extant, is located on North Avenue about 1⁄3 mile (0.54 km) to the south. The former Lynnfield Centre depot from the Newburyport Railroad line, closed in 1959, is located at the north end of the 1889-built station. Wakefield Centre station (Center Depot), another NRHP-listed station, is about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) to the east.^[4]

In 2024, the MBTA tested a temporary freestanding accessible platform design at Beverly Depot. These platforms do not require alterations to the existing platforms, thus skirting federal rules requiring full accessibility renovations when stations are modified, and were intended to provide interim accessibility at lower cost pending full reconstruction.^[9] Wakefield is planned to be part of the second set of non-accessible stations to be modified with the temporary platforms.^[10] Funding for design and construction came from Fair Share Amendment revenues.^[9] Design work began in the first half of 2024.^[11][10]

References

1. Central Transportation Planning Staff (2019). "2018 Commuter Rail Counts". Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.
2. "National Register Information System – (#89000719)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
3. "NRHP nomination and MACRIS inventory record for Wakefield Upper Depot". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2017-12-01.
4. Roy, John H. Jr. (2007). A Field Guide to Southern New England Railroad Depots and Freight Houses. Branch Line Press. pp. 186, 252, 253. ISBN 9780942147087.
5. O'Connell, Richard W. (August 18, 1968). "Old railroad depots take on new careers". Boston Globe. p. A-1 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Wakefield fire damage $50,000". Boston Globe. December 18, 1974. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Henry, Alan P. (August 10, 1977). "There's no depot like an old depot". Boston Globe. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Service Disruption September 9 to November 5 on Haverhill Commuter Rail Line" (Press release). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. August 10, 2023.
9. "Accelerating Accessibility within the Commuter Rail: Freestanding Mini-high Platform Initiative" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. May 23, 2024.
10. "Accessibility Initiatives—December 2024" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. December 6, 2024. p. 8.
11. "Accessibility Initiatives—June 2024" (PDF). Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. June 25, 2024. p. 8.

External links

Media related to Wakefield station (MBTA) at Wikimedia Commons

• MBTA – Wakefield